As of Monday, John and I have been married seven years. Or, as Clara likes to joke while counting on her hands, “what’s seven?… A HAND AND TWO FINGERS!” followed by an adorable little maniacal laugh.
Getting married on 7/7/07 makes the seventh anniversary feel extra special—the kind of milestone you notice and want to mark in a meaningful way. For our fifth anniversary we went to Hawaii, and we’d always imagined celebrating our seventh somewhere extraordinary too. Australia has always been the dream (maybe for our tenth), and the Caribbean seemed perfect for lucky seven. But with two small kids, the idea of hauling car seats and a pack-and-play onto a plane just felt like too much this year. We decided to save some of our travel fund for a future trip when we feel more settled and adventurous, and treat ourselves to a different kind of splurge instead: a large original painting.
We paid $850 for the piece, which was a real indulgence for us, but it felt like a thoughtful anniversary gift—a way to bring the feeling of a beach vacation home without the logistics of travel with little ones. We hope it hangs in this house for years to come, and who knows—maybe someday it will be at Clara’s house.
The painting is a 30 x 30″ original by Teil Duncan, an artist we’ve admired for a long time. Instead of choosing a smaller, less expensive print, we committed to a first large original painting, and it turned out to be the perfect seventh-anniversary present. The piece is even more striking in person than it appears online, and we had it on the wall in about five minutes. Photos don’t capture half of its calming, immersive quality.
It looks wonderful beside our blue front door and is exactly the kind of coastal scene you can lose yourself in—great for home decor and creating a relaxing foyer focal point.
The wall color behind it is our favorite neutral: Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore. The soft, warm neutral complements the painting’s blues and pinks and helps the piece feel integrated into the entryway.
Every time I walk past the painting I notice something new. Clara paused and admired it the other day—“I like that pink chair! We need a pink beach chair!”—and Teddy’s eyes track it when I carry him up the stairs. Burger hasn’t taken much interest yet, but there’s plenty of time for him to come around.
Hanging the painting in our foyer made us realize it now shares that space with two other pieces, creating a small, cohesive art grouping.
These smaller works are by our friend Lesli. They share a palette of soft blues and bright whites that connects them visually without feeling too matchy. Each one represents something we love: the beach, John’s Granny’s house, and a playful portrait of Burgdorf Goodman himself.
We originally had a Samantha French print by the door, so we moved that into the office and held it over the desk for a bit. We tried the new anniversary painting there first, but liked it better in the hall. Swapping pieces around was simple, and it was nice to add some art to the office wall too.
While repositioning art, we noticed a few more small paintings on the shelves—one from our last house, a $4 estate-sale pear painting, and two little bee paintings from Etsy. Collecting art slowly, mixing affordable finds with the occasional splurge, has been a fun way to build a meaningful home gallery. Over time the collection grows and starts to feel like a true reflection of our tastes—one that now literally measures a hand and two fingers, in Clara’s terms.
Of course, the most treasured pieces are the ones Clara makes. We have all of her creations proudly displayed on the corkboard over her desk—priceless reminders of childhood and creativity.
It’s funny how, even though nail holes are easy to patch, new-home or freshly-painted-room nerves often delay hanging art. We’re definitely guilty of what I jokingly call “Nail Hole Neurosis.” In our case it took ten months to add a few nail holes after painting our bedroom. Still, once art is up, a room shifts from house to home—our bedroom instantly felt much more like us when we filled those blank walls.
Seeing how much a few pieces can transform a space has inspired me to get more artwork up in the upstairs hallway and a few other spots around the house. Why wait to make your home feel finished?
To anyone else with a 7/7 anniversary, happy anniversary! Whether you celebrate with a trip, a meaningful purchase, or simply time together at home, seven years is worth marking.